LendAPI Podcast

Timothy Li
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We dedicate this podcast to the hard working men and women from members on LendAPI's Marketplace.

  1. Demolishing Wall Street’s Walls: Inside Trump’s New Fintech EO

    1 DAY AGO

    Demolishing Wall Street’s Walls: Inside Trump’s New Fintech EO

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li dive into the massive structural shifts rocking the fintech and banking landscape following the latest White House mandate. Timothy breaks down the newly signed Executive Order, “Integrating Financial Technology Innovation into Regulatory Frameworks,” exploring how it aims to overhaul the underlying “plumbing” of the financial system and strip away legacy advantages held by traditional commercial banks. The Death of Renting the Rails: A look at how the EO targets Federal Reserve Master Accounts, paving the way for non-bank fintechs and digital asset firms to access payment rails like Fedwire and FedNow directly without paying a "bank tax." Dismantling "Brick-and-Mortar" Relics: Why the White House's explicit rhetoric labeling existing rules as outdated protections for powerful traditional incumbents signals an unprecedented regulatory vibe shift. The 90-Day Agency Clock: Breaking down the aggressive timeline handed to the SEC, CFTC, OCC, FDIC, and CFPB to audit and eliminate barriers blocking fintech partnerships, bank charters, and digital licensing. The Federal Reserve's 120-Day Mandate: What happens when the Fed reports back on its legal authority to expand direct master account access to crypto firms, fintechs, and state-chartered entities like Wyoming SPDIs. The Regional Reserve Twist & Jurisdiction Shopping: An analysis of whether the 12 regional Reserve banks have independent authority to grant accounts, and how that could spark a race to innovation as fintechs flock to the most forward-thinking districts. The Fast-Track Framework: Understanding the proposed 90-day fast-track clock to approve or deny completed fintech applications, and what this operational speed means for builders looking to scale infrastructure quickly. 📢 Explore more on the ⁠LendAPI Marketplace⁠ 🎧 Listen now on ⁠YouTube⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠. What You'll Learn:

    6 min
  2. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Brian Scott, Co Founder of RAI Partners

    14 MAY

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Brian Scott, Co Founder of RAI Partners

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li sits down with Brian Scott, co-founder of RAI Partners, to explore the intersection of credit unions, mission-driven lending, and modern financial products. Drawing from over 20 years in payments and credit unions, Brian discusses how a focus on underserved members and credit-building products is essential for credit unions to grow and remain relevant. What You'll Learn: The Foundation of Credit Unions: Understanding Select Employee Groups (SEGs) and the common bond that forms the basis of the cooperative movement.Modernizing Credit Card Programs: How RAI Partners helps credit unions approve members they would typically decline through real-time, behind-the-scenes decisioning.Serving the Underserved and New-to-Credit: The importance of specialized products for college students and gig workers who are often misunderstood by traditional FICO-only underwriting.Affinity Branding in Finance: Why RAI Partners prioritizes the brand of the university or credit union over its own to build deeper member trust and affinity.The Power of CUSOs: Insights into Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs) and how they return value and innovation directly to the credit union industry.Navigating Macroeconomic Pressures: How lenders must balance responsible credit access with the realities of inflation and shifting regulatory landscapes.Financial Literacy at Home: A look into the "dinner table conversations" regarding saving, spending, and building credit for the next generation.About RAI Partners RAI Partners is a growth-oriented firm that empowers credit unions by managing end-to-end credit card programs, including all risk and operational costs. By focusing on "doing the basics better," RAI Partners helps institutions reach new demographics—such as younger alumni and underbanked populations—through relationship-driven, white-labeled financial solutions.

    42 min
  3. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Billy Quinn, SVP Business Architecture Lead at Truist

    12 MAY

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Billy Quinn, SVP Business Architecture Lead at Truist

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li sits down with Billy Quinn, who leads product and platform architecture at Truist, to explore the intersections of military discipline, process engineering, and modern banking. Drawing from his 10-year career in the military and experience at major firms like Accenture and Wells Fargo, Billy discusses how a "product-first" mindset is essential for traditional banks to remain competitive against nimble fintechs.What You'll Learn: The Power of Military Principles in Business: Why the military concept of "buy with and through" is essential for modern product delivery and how structured discipline creates a foundation for human executionModernizing Legacy Banking Architecture: How banks are shifting from "spaghetti to lasagna" by quantifying business products and building platform experiences that string together end-to-end client journeys.The Crucial Role of Business Processes: Why fintechs and banks must start with accountable business processes to ensure APIs truly reflect the underlying business functions they serve.Bridging the Military-to-Civilian Gap: Insights into the evolution of transition programs like the Honor Foundation and Accenture's JMO program that help veterans translate tactical skills into corporate value.Navigating Career Growth in Finance: Why young professionals should seek "battle scars" in large institutions to learn the industry's inner workings before launching their own ventures.Human-Centric Banking in an AI World: Why empathetic advisors and established brand trust remain critical for consumers navigating complex financial decisions like homeownership.The "Baseball Mindset" for Success: How embracing a high failure rate—successful only three out of ten times—is a necessary trait for professionals in sales and product development. About Truist:Truist is a product-forward banking institution that emphasizes a "product first" culture on both the business consumable and technology platform sides. Deeply rooted in its communities, Truist combines technology with a relationship-driven approach, relying on empathetic advisors and established brand trust to serve its clients' financial needs.

    47 min
  4. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Colin Darke, Chief Executive Officer at CompliSun

    12 MAY

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Colin Darke, Chief Executive Officer at CompliSun

    LendAPI Partner Podcast features Colin Darke, CEO of CompliSun, a regulatory technology company and fractional compliance team. Darke discusses his extensive background, including eight years at Rocket Loans where he served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. He highlights the common struggles fintech startups face when treating compliance as an afterthought and how CompliSun aims to simplify these complex legal and operational challenges. What You'll Learn: CompliSun's Mission: The company was created to be a "single source of truth" for compliance, replacing outdated tools like spreadsheets and PDFs with a more intuitive, tech-forward system.Compliance for Founders: Many founders only focus on compliance when facing a regulatory "slap" or preparing to raise investment. Darke notes that proving compliance often requires weeks of manual preparation instead of a simple, real-time report.Guardian Tool: CompliSun offers a free "Guardian" version that allows new fintechs to perform self-assessments, identify gaps, and establish a compliance calendar.AI in Compliance: The platform uses AI and specific prompts based on Darke's 20+ years of experience to help users understand complex disclosures, such as those for the TCPA.Industry Trends:- Bank Charters: Darke observes a "gold rush" of players seeking bank charters and warns that the initial streamlined regulatory environment will eventually shift toward stricter fiduciary obligations.- Responsible Innovation: He advocates for "vibe coding" only as a prototyping tool, stressing that final products must be correctly coded, secure, and SOC 2 compliant. About CompliSun CompliSun is a regulatory technology company and fractional compliance provider designed to simplify the legal and operational headaches of growing financial institutions. Founded by Colin Darke—a seasoned legal professional with a background at Rocket Loans and major banking institutions—the platform serves as a comprehensive system for managing policies, procedures, and risk assessments. CompliSun bridges the gap between static PDF policies and real-world execution, providing startups with the tools to tell a compelling compliance story to regulators, bank partners, and investors alike

    48 min
  5. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Phil Ganz, President at Next Wave Mortgage

    25 MAR

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Phil Ganz, President at Next Wave Mortgage

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li, Founder & CEO of LendAPI, sits down with Phil Ganz, President of Next Wave Mortgage, to discuss what it truly takes to build a people-first mortgage brokerage in today's fast-moving lending landscape. Phil brings a rare combination of 26+ years in the mortgage industry, a top 1% originator ranking nationally, and a builder's mindset — having launched Next Wave Mortgage from the ground up to serve borrowers across multiple states with low-rate, low-friction home financing experiences. What You'll Learn: Why mortgage brokers are outpacing retail lenders — and how nimble, client-focused operations like Next Wave Mortgage deliver better rates and service without the overhead of large corporate structures How Phil is using technology and automation to modernize the mortgage origination process — reducing friction for borrowers and improving pull-through rates for the brokerage The story of building Next Wave Mortgage from scratch — what it takes to launch and scale a multi-state brokerage in a high-rate, low-volume market environment Why Phil believes loan officers should have an ownership mentality — and how Next Wave's platform empowers LOs to grow long-term client relationships rather than just close transactions How non-QM and alternative lending programs (bank statement, DSCR, Down Payment Assistance) are unlocking homeownership for borrowers that traditional lenders routinely turn away Why AI and digital tools are transforming lead generation and borrower education — and how mortgage professionals can use content and technology to stay ahead of the competition What the current housing affordability crisis means for lenders and borrowers alike — and how smart mortgage planning can still create viable paths to homeownership About Next Wave Mortgage: Next Wave Mortgage is a multi-state mortgage brokerage headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, dedicated to expanding sustainable homeownership through transparent, technology-forward lending. Founded in 2023, Next Wave gives loan officers the platform to build lasting client relationships by combining broker-model pricing flexibility with strong operational support. Under the leadership of President Phil Ganz — a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist and nationally recognized top 1% originator — the brokerage specializes in FHA, VA, Conventional, Jumbo, Non-QM, and Down Payment Assistance programs, with a commitment to serving first-time homebuyers and self-employed borrowers who need creative, personalized financing solutions. Next Wave Mortgage is how mortgages should be done. 📢 Explore more on the LendAPI Marketplace Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

    55 min
  6. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Ryan Hildebrand, EVP & Chief Innovation Officer at Bankwell

    19 MAR

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Ryan Hildebrand, EVP & Chief Innovation Officer at Bankwell

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li, Founder & CEO of LendAPI, sits down with Ryan Hildebrand, EVP & Chief Innovation Officer at Bankwell, to discuss what it truly takes to transform a community bank into a fintech-grade institution. Ryan brings a rare perspective as a serial founder, former CPA, and fintech builder who helped launch Simple (the first consumer fintech bank) and Seed (the first business fintech bank), and led landmark fintech partnerships at Cross River Bank with companies like Coinbase, Stripe, and Plaid. Now at Bankwell, a $3B+ commercial bank, Ryan is executing a ground-up technology transformation — starting with SBA lending and expanding to serve the full small business ecosystem with fintech-level speed and service. What You'll Learn: Why technology is the great equalizer for community banks — and how nimble decision-making lets smaller institutions outmaneuver billion-dollar competitors without matching their budgets How Ryan is using AI and modern fintech platforms to modernize SBA and small business lending at Bankwell — reducing friction for borrowers and improving outcomes for the bank The inside story of building Simple and Seed — two fintech firsts — and what those exits taught Ryan about what real banking innovation requires Why Ryan would give back a $100M innovation budget — and how lean, focused teams with the right AI tools consistently outperform large, well-funded innovation departments The hidden systemic risk of legacy core banking infrastructure — why banks feel trapped, why VC funding dries up for alternatives, and what needs to change How AI adoption in banking is a cultural transformation, not a technology project — and why front-line employee buy-in determines whether AI investments succeed or fail What the coming wave of community bank consolidation means for institutions that are innovating versus those that are waiting — and how to end up on the right side of it About Bankwell: Bankwell is a $3B+ commercial bank headquartered in New Canaan, Connecticut, built on a foundation of strong relationships with businesses across the region. Under the leadership of Chief Innovation Officer Ryan Hildebrand, Bankwell is executing a deliberate strategy to deliver fintech-grade technology and service to small and mid-sized businesses — starting with SBA lending and expanding outward. Bankwell was the first bank customer and investor in Casca, a Y Combinator-backed AI-native loan origination platform, underscoring its commitment to partnering with the most innovative builders in the industry. Bankwell's approach to innovation — resourceful, accountable, and customer-focused — reflects the belief that the best community banks can compete with anyone

    27 min
  7. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Carla Canino, Founder & CEO of Kindlee

    19 MAR

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Carla Canino, Founder & CEO of Kindlee

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li, Founder & CEO of LendAPI, sits down with Carla Canino, Founder & CEO of Kindlee (Techstars '24), to explore the intersection of responsible AI, financial inclusion, and the future of fair lending. Carla brings over 15 years of experience across global payments, financial services product strategy, and entrepreneurship — from her time as Global Payment Strategy Lead at Blizzard Entertainment to co-authoring inclusion standards with the Federal Reserve and W3C. Today, she is building Kindlee, the first AI fairness intelligence platform for regulated financial institutions, helping lenders detect bias, improve model accuracy, and meet EU AI Act compliance — while unlocking billions in untapped revenue. Why AI bias in lending is costing the industry an estimated $443 billion annually — and how the majority of affected consumers are actually creditworthy customers being misclassified How Kindlee's Kindlee Conversational Trust Index (KCTI) provides the first composite trust score for AI performance across vulnerable populations — with zero PII exposure and zero integration burden Why 65% of loan declines may involve creditworthy customers misclassified by biased AI models, and what lenders can do about it right now The real business case for inclusive AI: a documented 1,578% ROI on remediation over three years, and why fairness is a competitive advantage — not just a compliance checkbox How the EU AI Act's August 2026 deadline is creating urgency for financial institutions to audit their AI systems for high-risk use cases Carla's journey from payments expert at Activision Blizzard to solo founder — and the personal experiences as a disabled immigrant that exposed systemic weaknesses in financial systems and inspired Kindlee Practical advice for any fintech or lender looking to build AI that is explainable, unbiased, accessible, and growth-focused Kindlee is an AI fairness intelligence platform backed by Techstars and J.P. Morgan, purpose-built for regulated financial institutions navigating the EU AI Act and European Accessibility Act. Founded by Carla Canino, Kindlee helps banks, fintechs, and lenders detect bias and operational friction in their deployed AI — including conversational AI, credit decisioning, and KYC systems — and provides a direct path to remediation. Their proprietary KCTI benchmark has audited nine of Europe's largest financial institutions, revealing that 82.7% of AI interactions with disabled, elderly, and immigrant customers result in severe or critical failures. Kindlee makes fairness measurable, profitable, and easy to adopt — without touching a single line of PII. Learn more at www.kindlee.ai. What You’ll Learn:About New Market Growth

    25 min
  8. LendAPI Partner Podcast with Carlos Caro, Managing Partner & Founder of New Market Growth

    10 MAR

    LendAPI Partner Podcast with Carlos Caro, Managing Partner & Founder of New Market Growth

    In this episode of the LendAPI Partner Podcast, host Timothy Li, Founder & CEO of LendAPI, sits down with Carlos Caro, Founder of New Market Growth, to discuss the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of consumer lending. Carlos shares his deep industry expertise, detailing how lenders can successfully navigate the challenges of listing on popular affiliate platforms, the critical importance of balancing lead quality with volume, and the significance of building a strong professional network. What You'll Learn The real challenge of getting listed on major platforms like LendingTree or Credit Karma, and why Carlos often has to turn down 85% of lenders who approach him for placement. Why striking a balance between acquiring a high volume of leads and ensuring those leads are of top quality is essential, especially as platforms prioritize customer welfare and competitive rates. The importance of "Market Fit" and understanding the specific requirements of each platform, tailoring your offerings to match traditional products like mortgages or personal loans. How embracing innovation—such as leveraging blockchain technology for new, high-reward credit cards—can help differentiate your products in a crowded market. Actionable strategies for success, including focusing on customer needs, attending industry events, collaborating with other businesses, and staying ahead of market trends and regulatory shifts. About New Market Growth New Market Growth is a specialized consulting firm that helps lenders connect with powerful affiliate marketing channels to drive customer acquisition. Founded by Carlos Caro, who brings a rich background in lending and marketing from his time working with major financial institutions, the firm assists lenders in navigating the highly competitive consumer finance space. They focus on bridging the gap between innovative lending products and key acquisition platforms, ensuring lenders can effectively reach and serve their target markets. 📢 Explore more on the ⁠LendAPI Marketplace⁠ Listen now on ⁠YouTube⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠.

    45 min
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About

We dedicate this podcast to the hard working men and women from members on LendAPI's Marketplace.

Information

  • Creator
    Timothy Li
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Timothy Li
  • Show Website
    LendAPI Podcast